About Sweden

Sweden is located in Northern Europe, more precisely in the part of Europe which is commonly referred to as Scandinavia. Sweden is a fairly large country, larger than both Germany and the UK, but with a population of just over 9 million, it is not exactly crowded. Despite a small population, Sweden is one of Europe’s strongest industrial nations and many large global companies have their headquarters here including Volvo, IKEA, H&M and Ericsson.

Sweden is known around the world for being democratic, safe, clean and not least for having beautiful nature and a rich wildlife. If you travel from north to south you’ll see deep forests and mountainous terrain as well as farmland and white sandy beaches. In Sweden the general public have the right to access public and privately owned land thanks to a law called Allemansrätten which roughly translates to “the right to roam”. To be able to stroll around freely is fantastic and gives you a unique opportunity to really experience the wilderness. But, don’t worry, contrary to popular belief, there are no polar bears in Sweden.

Another common misconception is that all Swedes are tall and blond. The modern Swedish society is in fact multicultural and nearly fifteen percent of the population was born in another country. In the last fifty years, the number of immigrants has increased steadily. These days there are large communities of people from all parts of the world living in Sweden. 

For more information about life and studies in Sweden, please visit the following websites:

www.sweden.se
(The official gateway to Sweden)

www.studyinsweden.se
(All you need to know about higher education in Sweden)

Did you know that…

… the majority of Swedes speak fluent English?
… 85 % of the Swedish population lives in urban areas?
… that the Economist has ranked Sweden the most democratic country in the world?
… that the Nobel Prize is named after the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel?
 

For more practical information on living in Sweden and Borås, please visit Living in Sweden.